Discovery Box2 Kings 3:11-19 
Context3:11 Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no prophet of the Lord here that we might seek the Lord’s direction?” 1 One of the servants of the king of Israel answered, “Elisha son of Shapat is here; he used to be Elijah’s servant.” 2 3:12 Jehoshaphat said, “The Lord speaks through him.” 3 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to visit him.
3:13 Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Why are you here? 4 Go to your father’s prophets or your mother’s prophets!” The king of Israel replied to him, “No, for the Lord is the one who summoned these three kings so that he can hand them over to Moab.” 3:14 Elisha said, “As certainly as the Lord who rules over all 5 lives (whom I serve), 6 if I did not respect King Jehoshaphat of Judah, 7 I would not pay attention to you or acknowledge you. 8 3:15 But now, get me a musician.” 9 When the musician played, the Lord energized him, 10 3:16 and he said, “This is what the Lord says, ‘Make many cisterns in this valley,’ 11 3:17 for this is what the Lord says, ‘You will not feel 12 any wind or see any rain, but this valley will be full of water and you and your cattle and animals will drink.’ 3:18 This is an easy task for the Lord; 13 he will also hand Moab over to you. 3:19 You will defeat every fortified city and every important 14 city. You must chop down 15 every productive 16 tree, stop up all the springs, and cover all the cultivated land with stones.” 17
1 tn Heb “that we might inquire of the
2 tn Heb “who poured water on the hands of Elijah.” This refers to one of the typical tasks of a servant.
3 tn Heb “the word of the
4 tn Or “What do we have in common?” The text reads literally, “What to me and to you?”
5 tn Traditionally “the
6 tn Heb “before whom I stand.”
7 tn Heb “if I did not lift up the face of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah.”
8 tn Heb “I would not look at you or see you.”
9 tn The term used refers to one who plays a stringed instrument, perhaps a harp.
10 tn Heb “the hand of the
11 tn Heb “making this valley cisterns, cisterns.” The Hebrew noun גֵּב (gev) means “cistern” in Jer 14:3 (cf. Jer 39:10). The repetition of the noun is for emphasis. See GKC 396 §123.e. The verb (“making”) is an infinitive absolute, which has to be interpreted in light of the context. The translation above takes it in an imperatival sense. The command need not be understood as literal, but as hyperbolic. Telling them to build cisterns is a dramatic way of leading into the announcement that he would miraculously provide water in the desert. Some prefer to translate the infinitive as an imperfect with the Lord as the understood subject, “I will turn this valley [into] many pools.”
12 tn Heb “see.”
13 tn Heb “and this is easy in the eyes of the
14 tn Heb “choice” or “select.”
15 tn Elisha places the object first and uses an imperfect verb form. The stylistic shift may signal that he is now instructing them what to do, rather than merely predicting what would happen.
16 tn Heb “good.”
17 tn Heb “and ruin every good portion with stones.”
